Lilium is getting close to securing its EASA design organization approval (DOA) with the completion of the fourth and final audit required for the process. On July 6, the European eVTOL aircraft developer reported that it is in the last stages of the path to approval, with the DOA certificate likely to be issued later this year after it has addressed any outstanding issues and administrative steps.
Holding DOA clearance allows companies to have their compliance documents accepted by the European air safety regulator without further verification and also to perform activities independently from EASA. Like some of its competitors, Lilium has sought a DOA that specifically takes into account its plans to certify an eVTOL aircraft and its electric propulsion system.
Lilium applied for DOA clearance back in 2017. “In simple terms, a design organization approval can be thought of as a license to operate,” explained the German company’s chief technology officer, Alastair McIntosh. “An aerospace company in Europe can neither hold a type certificate nor undertake or approve design activity without having a DOA. Successfully completing the fourth and final DOA audit pays tribute to the caliber of our team and the rigor of our design processes.”
European aircraft manufacturers also need to secure a Part 21G production organization approval from EASA. German eVTOL developer Volocopter achieved this in 2021 based on its acquisition of light aircraft maker DG Flugzeugbau. The company had received its DOA clearance in 2019.
In late June, the FAA agreed to the G-1 certification basis Lilium needs to secure type certification for its Lilium Jet in the U.S. Under the FAA process, Lilium and EASA will both provide further information to the U.S. air safety agency before it publishes the G-1 documentation for public consultation. According to the company, the milestone makes it the only eVTOL developer to have received G-1 clearance from both the FAA and its primary airworthiness authority, EASA.
The company aims to complete EASA type certification for the six-passenger vehicle in late 2025, and to receive concurrent approval from the FAA under the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the European Union and the U.S. It said that it has submitted every aspect of its proposed certification plans to EASA, with 78 percent of the means of compliance for this process now agreed to or accepted.
European manufacturers also need to secure production organization approval and Lilium started this process in May 2020. It has since filed a production management system intended to demonstrate compliance with EASA requirements with Germany's LBA air safety regulator and expects to receive the required approval concurrently with type certification to allow series production to get underway.
